This invention relates to a high-speed conversion means for floor treating machines to substantially increase the effectiveness of buffers, in particular, as to burnishing, stripping, scrubbing, and sanding floors.
Floor treating machines such as carpet cleaners, buffers, floor stripping machines, floor waxing machines, and floor sanding machines as such are known in art. The prior art includes machines which conventionally have a straight drive mechanism for actuating the floor treating elements thereunder. The drive shaft from the motor is connected directly to the rotatable element support member. The drive shaft in such machines typically rotate at from 175 rpm to 300 rpm which is also the speed of the rotatable element support member and floor treating member since the drive shaft is connected directly to the element support member. None of the prior art describes a drive mechanism which increases the speed of the floor treating element or elements on the floor treating machine in excess of 2500 rpm which is the speed the high-speed conversion means of the present invention can achieve and which produces exceptional results on the floors.
One known prior art are POWER DEVICES HAVING REVERSIBLE DRIVE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,495, a base for contacting a surface to be treated, a wheel rotatably mounted on the base, a strain wave gearing assembly having a plurality of gears wherein one of the gears rotates in an opposite direction from the others effectively reversible drive in the devices.
Another known prior art is a NOISE REDUCTION OF GEAR TRAIN, U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,470, comprising a gear train having a steel pinion gear meshed with a nylon gear wheel which is meshed with a pair of "Rexin" gear wheels which aluminum inserts for reducing the noise in the gear train.
Another known prior art is a HIGH-SPEED POLISHING MACHINE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,890, comprising a platform, wheels at a rear portion of the platform, a housing at a forward portion of the platform, a rotatable pad driver supported by the housing, a motor mounted on an intermediate portion of the platform to provide a straight drive to the pad driver, and handles to use the machine.
Another known prior art is a HIGH-SPEED FLOOR TREATING MACHINE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,576, comprising a frame, handle means attached to the frame, a support for the frame, an electric motor mounted on the frame, a floor treating means comprising an annular shaped brush, which is rotated with a belt and pulley carried by the drive shaft of the motor.
Another known prior art is a HIGH SPEED FLOOR POLISHER, U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,868, comprising a frame, wheels, suspension means for suspending the frame, and drive means directly connected to a motor, for rotating a floor treatment element.
Another known prior art is a FLOOR CLEANING AND POLISHING MACHINE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,534, comprising a disk, support for the disk, means for imparting rotational motion to the support, and a variant speed element which geared from the power source.
Another known prior art is a MACHINE FOR FLOOR MAINTENANCE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,635, comprising a body, an annular stator supported by the body, a shaft disposed in the stator, and an annular rotor journaled for rotation about the shaft.
Another known prior art is a FLOOR TREATING MACHINE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,541, comprising a frame, a brush housing connected to the frame, a brush for treating the floor, and means for positioning the brush with respect to the floor.
Another known prior art is a FLOOR POLISHER, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,824, comprising a vertically moving mechanism adapted to move said pad in a vertical direction, a ground pressure adjusting mechanism for maintaining a ground pressure on the pad, and a floor protecting mechanism to control the vertically moving mechanism.
Another known prior art is an ADJUSTABLE SUSPENSION FOR HIGH SPEED PAD DRIVER, U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,124, comprising a housing, wheels, a drive motor, and pulley arrangement for rotating a circular pad attached to a mounting plate, and an apparatus for positioning the mounting plate over a range of heights above the floor to accommodate a range of pad thicknesses.
None of the prior art described above anticipates, suggests, or describes a high-speed conversion means which will dramatically increase the speed of the floor treating elements relative to the speed of the drive shaft of the motor to substantially enhance the treatment of the floors as such. There is a need for a high-speed conversion means for floor treating machines which substantially increases the speed and performances of such machines.